"Worse than you. Both my legs have been taken off."
Neil said nothing for a moment. "It could be worse," he ventured at last.
"Oh yes. Life is worth living, even with artificial limbs."
"Can you see, Yaxa."
"Perfectly."
"Here then. The war's over, at least so far as we're concerned. Let's call it quits."
He painfully stretched out his hand toward the place from which Yaxa's voice came. After a moment he felt the Martian's spidery fingers on it.
"Quits it is, then," agreed Yaxa. "We'll get well together."
Both of them relaxed. The fierce conflict they had both gone through now seemed far away and vague, as if it had been the experience of other men. They felt peaceful and in some measure content.
For they had both fought a good fight. Both had done their best. Both would be honored for their efforts. And, best of all, neither of them would ever need to fight again.